Question 1

According to the scientific method,what are the steps in conducting research and in what order should they be completed?

Accepted Answer

According to the scientific method, the steps in conducting research should be completed in the following order: form a hypothesis, define variables, choose research method, and collect data. Once data is collected, it can then be analyzed to draw conclusions. Therefore, option A is the correct order of steps.

Question 2

You are conducting research on violence in the media.In what part of the research process are you engaged if you are trying to decide whether "violence" includes words as well as actions?

Accepted Answer

In this scenario, the researcher is defining the variable "violence" and deciding whether it includes words as well as actions. This falls under the process of defining variables in research methodology.

Question 3

Charles Darwin suggested that,rather than being superior to the rest of the animal kingdom,human beings are simply one part of a larger system governed by natural laws.This radically changed how people thought about almost everything.What would we call this?

Accepted Answer

This question is referring to a significant change in perspective or worldview, which is typically referred to as a paradigm shift.

Question 4

A paradigm shift is a major break in the assumptions that are used to understand the world.For social scientists,what causes a paradigm shift?

Accepted Answer

Social scientists experience a paradigm shift when new data challenges their current assumptions or ways of understanding the world. This can lead to the development of new theories and approaches to studying social phenomena.

Question 5

In recent years,sociologists who study deviance have learned that they can measure the quantities of narcotics consumed by a community by testing its sewage before treatment.What part of the research process would the sociologists be carrying out when they visit the sewage treatment plant to test its sewage?

Accepted Answer

Visiting the sewage treatment plant to test the sewage would be a part of the data collection process. The sociologists are collecting information about the quantities of narcotics consumed by a community.

Question 6

What uses an inductive method that involves collecting data and then generating theory by looking for relationships among categories?

Accepted Answer

Grounded theory is an inductive method that involves collecting data and then generating theory by looking for relationships among categories. This approach is widely used in social science research to develop theories grounded in real-world observations. Choice B, chaos theory, refers to a branch of mathematics and science that studies complex systems and the unpredictable outcomes that can result from small initial differences. Choice C, conflict theory, is a sociological perspective that views society as a struggle between groups with competing interests and resources. Choice D, scientific theory, refers to a broad explanatory framework that has been repeatedly tested and is widely accepted as valid within a particular field of study. While grounded theory is a type of scientific theory, it is distinguished by its inductive approach to developing hypotheses and theories based on observed data.

Question 7

Lili is conducting a sociological research study on the underground music scene.She has just finished collecting data for the study.What is the next step Lili should take in the scientific method?

Accepted Answer

After data is collected, the next step is to analyze it in order to draw conclusions and identify patterns. Choosing a research design or method, providing operational definitions for variables, and sharing findings typically occur earlier in the research process.

Question 8

You want to conduct some sociological research on whether people on social networking sites are less likely to meet in person as a result of their online community participation.What is the next step in the scientific method?

Accepted Answer

The answer of You want to conduct some sociological research...

Question 9

Survey research tends to produce quantitative data.One key advantage of this kind of data is that it

Accepted Answer

Survey research typically involves collecting data through structured questionnaires or interviews, which produces quantitative data that can be easily analyzed and presented in a standardized way. This data can also be easily transmitted to the public or other researchers for further analysis.

Question 10

A social research methods class wants to study smoking.First,the professor asks how many people in the class are smokers.Two people indicate that they are.Then she asks how many people have smoked a cigarette in the past week and ten people indicate that they had.From this,the class decides,for the purposes of the survey,a smoker will be anyone who has smoked a cigarette in the past week and currently owns a pack of cigarettes.This is a(n)

Accepted Answer

The decision to define a smoker as someone who has smoked a cigarette in the past week and currently owns a pack of cigarettes is an operational definition, which is a clear and concise definition of a variable that can be measured and observed in a research study. This definition helps to ensure that all participants in the study are classified consistently and that the results are reliable and valid.

Question 11

A graduate student is almost done with his dissertation when he is informed that twenty years ago someone did a similar project and already demonstrated what he had hoped to be the first to discover.What basic step of the scientific method should have saved him from this problem?

Accepted Answer

Reviewing the literature is an essential step in the scientific method as it helps researchers to identify what has already been studied and discovered in their field of interest. By conducting a thorough literature review, the graduate student would have been able to avoid duplicating a previous study and could have adjusted their research question or focus accordingly.

Question 12

What is the scientific method?

Accepted Answer

The scientific method is a systematic approach to acquiring and collecting data through observation, experimentation, and analysis in order to formulate and test hypotheses. It involves creating a hypothesis, designing an experiment, collecting data, analyzing the data, and drawing conclusions.

Question 13

What will a good researcher always do after formulating a general research question?

Accepted Answer

Reviewing the literature relevant to the topic is a vital step for a good researcher to ensure that the research question is not already answered or to build upon existing knowledge.

Question 14

What do you call broad theoretical models of the social or natural world?

Accepted Answer

Paradigms are broad theoretical models that provide a framework for understanding and analyzing complex phenomena in the social or natural world. Hypotheses are specific, testable predictions made about a particular phenomenon, while interviews and grounded theory are research methods used to gather data and develop theories.

Question 15

A sociologist wants to study popular attitudes and perceptions about astrology among college students in California.She believes that people who have astrological signs associated with fire will have a greater knowledge of astrology because fire signs tend to have more interesting and attractive symbolism.What are the variables in this study?

Accepted Answer

The variables in this study are astrological signs and knowledge of astrology, as the researcher is exploring whether individuals with fire signs have greater knowledge of astrology. College students, popular attitudes, perceptions, and California are all part of the context in which the study is being conducted, but they are not the variables being studied.

Question 16

In the 1980s,many politicians argued that listening to heavy metal music led teenagers to die by suicide.Though you might find this belief silly,it is a(n)

Accepted Answer

This belief is a hypothesis - a tentative explanation that can be tested through research.

Question 17

A study found a strong correlation between parental bonding and adolescent drug use.Children with stronger bonds to their parents were far less likely to try drugs or alcohol.However,the researchers,after examining their data more closely,discovered that parental bonding was really a predictor for teen religiosity.Consequently,high levels of religiosity prevent drug use rather than parental bonding.This means that religiosity was a(n)

Accepted Answer

Religiosity is an intervening variable because it explains the relationship between parental bonding and adolescent drug use, indicating that it is the religiosity influenced by parental bonding that actually affects drug use.

Question 18

A famous social scientist tells you that the most important task in her research was entering the social world of the people she was studying.What can you say about this researcher?

Accepted Answer

The researcher's statement about entering the social world of the people she was studying indicates that she is a qualitative researcher who values gaining an in-depth understanding of the social phenomena being studied through immersion in the context. This approach requires ethical considerations, such as building rapport and respecting the privacy of the participants, but does not preclude the use of interviews or other qualitative methods. Quantitative methods tend to prioritize measurement and statistical analysis over contextual understanding, which is not consistent with the researcher's approach.

Question 19

You are doing a research project on the effects of contemporary media.What are your variables if your hypothesis is "watching violence on television causes an increase in violent behavior"?

Accepted Answer

The independent variable is violence on television and the dependent variable is violent behavior. The other options, such as watching television or nonviolent television, are not directly related to the hypothesis being tested. Causes of violent behavior may be a relevant control variable, but it is not a variable in the hypothesis being tested.

Question 20

Jai is conducting a sociological research study on differences in interactions between similar and dissimilar co-workers.After reviewing the literature,he developed a hypothesis and has operationalized the variables he will study.What is the next step Jai should take in the scientific method?

Accepted Answer

After operationalizing the variables, the next step in the scientific method is to choose a research design or method to guide how the study will be conducted.

Quiz 2: Studying Social Life: Sociology Research Methods